Textual Analysis Of King Arthur

The intent of this film feels very conflicted to me because I feel that the filmmakers made a genuine attempt by the filmmakers to tell a King Arthur story that was based on some kind of historical fact, but they also tried to update the story for a contemporary audience. The filmmakers did a good job of capturing the feel of what the Dark Ages would feel like and, by filming in the British Isles as stated in the credits, it gives the film a sense of authenticity in its setting. Antoine Fuqua, as stated in an interview with the BBC, went out of his way to cast several European actors in the film which adds to the sense of realism to the film. Given the look and tone of Fuqua's other works, it makes sense that he would be able to bring a grittiness

The film reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings in its action choreography and cinematography and there several action tropes in the plot (the knights returning for the final battle, Arthur saving a woman and falling in love with her, etc.). Arthur is portrayed as an idealist who is willing to die on the hills of his beliefs in the face of repression and corruption. This is a much different portrayal of the character than is commonly seen in Arthurian literature. His fight for freedom and equality are reflective of a lot of the current political beliefs you will find in contemporary Western fiction. Ultimately, that is what I feel that is the purpose of the King Arthur story in this film. It is used as a basis to write an action film with a Medieval/Dark Ages setting which uses the idea of historical authenticity as an advertising tool to sell a reimagining of the King Arthur myth. However, this could be forgiven because the King Arthur stories were originally used to promote the ideals of the Middle Ages as stated in the notes on Chivalry. It is not unprecedented for myths to change as the cultural values of a society change over time. Thus, this modern reimagining of the story will appeal to audiences much more than it would have if they had made a straight adaptation of the source

One of the biggest historical inaccuracies present in this film is Arthur's conduct throughout the majority of the film. At several points, he is very brash towards people who are of a higher class than he is. He is very forward towards the Archbishop in several scenes in the film. Being a chivalrous knight and a man of god, it is very surprising to see Arthur treat the Archbishop this way. The ideology he is presenting to the Archbishop is also very surprising given how the idea of chivalry was often used to justify class inequalities as stated in the notes on Chivalry. The definition for chivalry we are using for this film states that knights should treat people of equal or greater class with respect. Arthur not only treated the Archbishop with disrespect, he also treated the roman family the knights saved poorly as well. Another inaccuracy I noticed occurred during the Battle of Badon. The Wodes were using trebuchet-like catapults during the battle which they would not have had access to during this time period. This kind of artillery was not common around the time this film takes place and would not be common for a very long time. It does not make a lot of sense either that the Wodes, who were are presented as a guerilla styled army in the film, would have access to this kind of advanced